As noted at the top, the Summer Olympics of 2024 is set for France. If there is a boycott of the China Winter Games over geopolitical tensions like the Uyghur issue or Chinese aggression towards its neighbors, it is a near certainty that China would respond in kind — maybe even stage an alternative set of Summer Games and lean heavy on countries over whom is has great financial leverage to come to China and skip the Games in Paris.

If that situation comes to pass, the possibility becomes quite real that the Olympics as we have known them for over 100 years will not continue in their present form.